Head of Interior meets with Colville leaders

The Colville Confederated Tribes received a visit Thursday from the federal official who is second only to the president, overseeing most of the federal agencies in the greater Grand Coulee Dam area.

Secretary Ryan Zinke, of the United States Dept. of Interior, traveled to several Indian reservations to discuss the opioid crisis, among other topics.

Zinke visited the Colville Tribes Government Center on Mar. 22, speaking with the Colville Business Council in a private meeting.

A March 23 press release from the Colville Tribes said that Zinke "offered to establish a joint BIA/Tribal Law Enforcement Task Force to address the problem of illegal opioid sales on the Colville Reservation."

The opioid drug crisis is particularly severe on Indian reservations, according to Zinke.

A task force with the Mille Lacs Tribe in Minnesota resulted in 72 arrests, Zinke explained, and a similar task force is available to the Colville Tribes if they are interested.

"While the opioid crisis affects every community in America, more often than not, tribal communities are disproportionately affected," Zinke said. "The President and I have prioritized combating the epidemic through education, treatment, enforcement, and, of course, support. We are looking at how Interior can best support tribal law enforcement in cracking down on drug dealers​ through a joint task force​ and how to best support community-based treatment. We strongly believe the best ​holistic approach will be at the community and tribal level, and we are looking at ways to create programs that engage the women in the tribes because women are the life-givers and hold special places in the community."

CBC Chairman Michael Marchand "emphasized that it's beneficial to have communication and trust with high-level federal decision-makers and to educate them about Colville's needs," according to the tribal press release.

The discussion also included the topics of "forest management, wildfire restoration, and a proposed Department of the Interior reorganization," the DOI press release stated.

Zinke assured the CBC that he believed that tribal nations should have a bigger role in making the decisions that affect them, previously reserved for federal agencies.   

"Decisions that have to be made at the top should be made by your nations," he said.